Sunday, June 15, 2014

Words from Elder Clay & Sister Cookie Overson in Brazil

"Today we experienced our first World Cup game here in Sao Paulo and what an
experience it has been. In the pictures, you can see one apartment decorated
with Brazilian flags, a car with flags on both sides and on the rear view mirror
and you

see us with our official Brazilian futebol team shirts.
Everywhere you look there are Brazilian flags and yellow and green is definitely
the color combination of the month. And I really wish I could share the noise
with you. The horns, which people have been blowing all day, sound very much
like fog horns. And the fireworks, which people have also been setting off all
day, sound like bombs being set off in the courtyard of our condominium. Today
was even a State holiday because of the Cup. I don’t know if it was nation-wide
but I wouldn’t be surprised. These people love their futebol soccer)!

Today was like the Super Bowl in the U.S., only bigger, with everyone
having BBQ’s and parties with family and friends. The streets were packed before
the game, getting ready for the party, and empty during the game, except for the
places where they had the big screens set up outside for the crowds to watch.
This is bigger than Christmas or New Years and it seems to be the one thing that
brings the Brazilian people together. We watched the game with a Brazilian
friend instead of watching it with the other senior missionary couples and that
was fun. We’re really glad that they won the game but hope that the celebrations
end before midnight so we can get some sleep. If you

saw the game, you know that Marcello, Brazil’s own player, made
the one goal for Croatia. According to the Brazilian announcer, that’s the only
time that has ever happened in a World Cup game. How fun to be Marcello! We
watched a few minutes of the ESPN broadcast and were surprised at how well they
captured the atmosphere and the spirit of the Brazilian people. We can honestly
say that we haven’t personally seen any scantily clothed women dancing in the
streets as shown on that broadcast, but we do see the joy and the love that
these people have for life. It is a wonderful place to be and each day we are
grateful for this incredible opportunity. We love the Lord, we love each other,
we love our Brazilian friends and we love each of you."